BEIRUT, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan launched on Saturday a "marathon" day for COVID-19 vaccination, prompting thousands of Lebanese to flock to hospitals to get vaccinated, the National News Agency reported.

A woman receives the COVID-19 vaccine at a medial center in Beirut, Lebanon, on May 24, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua)

The move aims at encouraging people to get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine after news about concerns over rare instances of blood clots.

Hassan received his AstraZeneca shot during the event while assuring people that the vaccine is safe.

"We are working according to a strategy aimed at vaccinating the biggest number of people to reach herd immunity and restore economic activity in a safe manner," Hassan said.

The Health Ministry announced that at least 10,000 people were vaccinated during the "marathon" day.

Lebanon is expected to receive over 2 million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in the coming two months.

The number of COVID-19 infections reached 540,132 while the death toll stands at 7,718.